James Duane Hoff

Reno Police Department — Reno, NV

Felonious

End of Watch June 25, 1979

Age 33

Tour of Duty 7 yrs

The Vigil Panel 121 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 11

Incident

Patrolman James Hoff was stabbed to death after being abducted during an undercover narcotics transaction. Patrolman Hoff was posing as a drug dealer and had agreed to meet a buyer later in the night to conduct a transaction. The buyer and an accomplice, however, were planning on murdering the dealer and recruited two additional accomplices. Shortly after Patrolman Hoff met the buyer, the surveillance equipment in his car malfunctioned and his backup officers were unable to hear what was occurring. The suspects were able to abduct him and stabbed him to death before dumping his body near the Dog Valley Road summit. All four suspects, ages 16 to 20, were convicted of Patrolman Hoff's murder. The 20-year-old suspect was sentenced to death. On Oct. 27, 2011, the Nevada State Supreme Court upheld his conviction for the third time. He is the longest-serving inmate on Nevada's death row. The other three suspects were sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. Patrolman Hoff had served with the Reno Police Department for seven years.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-NV-79FC5BEC
Stewardship: Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw: August 2, 2026
Last updated: August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Tributes

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Patrolman Hoff gave the Reno Police Department 7 years.
Thank you for your service to the Reno community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Patrolman Hoff.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Department Reno Police Department

Type Other

Location Reno, Washoe County, NV

Platform Identity rpd.washoe.nv.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch June 25, 1979

Tour of Duty 7 yrs

Age 33

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Edged weapon

Patrolman James Duane Hoff is one of 1 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 officers honored here.

In NV, 82 of 146 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 56.2% of this state's fallen. That is 56.2 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Reno Police Department, 10 of 12 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 83.3% of this agency's fallen.

Reno Police Department

of 12 officers

83.3% Felonious

NV — Statewide

of 146 officers

56.2% Felonious

Nationwide

of 97,772 officers

0% Felonious